J. Kimo Williams RAre 12 Liner Notes

In 2001, I began working on the follow-up to my first album, "War Stories" (which reflected my time serving in Vietnam). During the War Stories sessions, Vinnie, through conversations with me, made a point to connect his musical interpretation of my music to the cathartic reason for the album. This profoundly affected me, especially as a Vet, realizing that someone cared about what I did in War. I knew then that I wanted to do my next project with Vinnie.

We set some dates, and he came to my home studio in Chicago, and we laid down 21 songs over a weekend. He played to my midi renditions with a click track (he sightread every piece). After his tracks were down, I started working on the other instruments. I met Michael Brecker at the Jazz Workshop in Chicago, and he agreed to participate in this project. I reconnected with some of my Berklee alums, Mike Stern, Victor Bailey, Kenwood Dennard, Jeff Richman, and Jim Odgren, and they also agreed to add their voice to the project.

I used several musicians I knew in Chicago to round out the personnel for the album. I called it Tracking, as I recorded most in my home studio as individual instrumental "tracking" sessions instead of playing and recording together.

Audio technology has moved forward since 2001, so I have more creative tools for interpreting my music. In many cases in the past, I could not get the nuances and sonorities I heard in my head recorded on tape. This was also the case with my 2012 sessions with Vinnie, Richard Bona, and Mike Stern (where I ran out of money, I could not complete the project).

In 2023, I began work on a new project, "The Red Summer 1919," to be released on 11/11/2023. I am creating this album with some of the 2001 and 2012 session material. 

I am currently recording and releasing new works based on my 2012 sessions as well as reevaluating my Tracking album and reimagining and re-recording certain tracks by incorporating these new audio tools and expanding on the limitations associated with some of the musicians on the initial tracks. These reimagined/re-recorded tracks will be released as individual singles.

Jim Odgren - Alto Sax

Carol Williams - Tenor 

Ted Hogarth - Bari Sax

Matt Lewis - Trumpets

Kirk Garrison - Trumpets

Steve Berry - Trombones

Audrey Morrison - Trombones

Guitar - J. Kimo Williams

Keyboards - Ben Lewis (Solo section only)

Vinnie Colaiuta - Drums

Michael Brecker - Tenor Solo

J. Kimo Williams - Audio VST, Modeling, and Sample Programming 

J. Kimo Williams - Mix/Recording Enginneer

Chad Adams - Recording Engineer

Jim Caruana - Recording Engineer